This invention relates to bumper stickers, and more particularly to a device for aiding in the temporary and convenient placement of a bumper sticker on the bumper of an automobile while allowing the bumper sticker to appear permanently affixed.
Bumper stickers are commonly adhered to vehicle bumpers to display a message contained thereon. When the sticker becomes faded, out of date, or requires removal for any other reason, the owner of the automobile often encounters difficulty in cleanly removing the bumper sticker from the bumper. The bumper may become scratched through using a razor blade to loosen the sticker or the bumper sticker may leave undesirable residue on the bumper. Additionally, the sticker itself usually becomes spoiled upon removal.
Previous efforts to remedy this problem are described in the following U.S. Pat. No. 2,110,768 to Kellogg; U.S. Pat. No. 2,190,571 to Salducco; U.S. Pat. No. 2,220,310 to Wood; U.S. Pat. No. 2,677,910 to Morgan; U.S. Pat. No. 3,466,774 to Borresen; U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,026 to Bevan; U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,939 to Bonner et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,539 to Dickinson; U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,106 to Foster; U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,153 to Albrecht et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,925 to Herrera et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,594 to Reas et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,177 to Sy, Jr.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,144 to Gaeto, Jr. While all of the above patents describe display holders for certificates, signs, and/or bumper stickers, none teaches the use of an undetectable display holder which is conformable to the size and shape of the sticker and which may be easily installed and removed without damage to the sticker, the holder, or the application surface.
It is thus one object of the present invention to provide a bumper device which allows a bumper sticker to be easily installed and removed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bumper device which allows a bumper sticker to be removed without defacing the bumper.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a bumper device which is not visible upon application and thereby gives the appearance that the bumper sticker is placed directly on the automobile bumper.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bumper device of deformable material so as to be capable of conforming to any size or shape of a given bumper sticker.
By the present invention, there is provided a unique and hassle free device for mounting and replacing bumper stickers. The device includes a mounting sheet of clear, trimmable plastic onto which a bumper sticker may be mounted. The mounting sheet can be provided with means for adhering it to the bumper of an automobile, such as, for example, a strip or strips of Velcro placed on the back of the mounting sheet and on the bumper of the vehicle. Once the sticker is mounted to the device and the device is attached to the bumper, the device becomes virtually undetectable to the casual viewer.